The US Presidential History Quiz

How much do you know about the 43 men who have led the United States? Take this quiz to find out.

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Question 1 of 30

Who had the shortest presidency?

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia in 1841, only 31 days into his term.

Rutherford B. Hayes

William McKinley

Question 2 of 30

Who was the first president to die in office?

Warren G. Harding

James Garfield

William Henry Harrison

Again, William Henry Harrison has this distinction.

Question 3 of 30

Who was the only unmarried president?

John Tyler

James Buchanan

James Buchanan was the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor.

Franklin Pierce

Question 4 of 30

Which of the following is NOT the name of a presidential scandal?

the Petticoat affair

the Teapot Dome scandal

the War Chest episode

The Petticoat affair and Teapot Dome scandal were real. The War Chest episode, not so much.

Question 5 of 30

There are two father/son sets who have been president. The Bushes are one. Which is the other?

John Adams and John Quincy Adams

Second President John Adams was the father of sixth President John Quincy Adams. William Henry Harrison was Benjamin Harrison's grandfather, and the Roosevelts were fifth cousins.

William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison

Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt

Question 6 of 30

George H.W. Bush and this former president were the only two sitting vice presidents to be elected president.

Grover Cleveland

Martin Van Buren

Many vice presidents have moved up after the death of the president, but Van Buren and Bush were the only two to run for election while they were vice president.

Herbert Hoover

Question 7 of 30

Who was the only president to have gotten divorced?

Richard Nixon

Ronald Reagan

Reagan was married to Jane Wyman before he married Nancy Reagan.

Gerald Ford

Question 8 of 30

Which president had the most children?

Zachary Taylor

George Washington

John Tyler

John Tyler had 15 kids over 45 years.

Question 9 of 30

The only two presidents to have been impeached are Bill Clinton and who else?

Martin Van Buren

Richard Nixon

Andrew Johnson

Clinton and Johnson were both impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate. Nixon resigned before he could be impeached.

Question 10 of 30

Why was Andrew Johnson impeached?

violation of the Tenure of Office Act

Johnson wasn't on board with his party's plans for Reconstruction, and he blocked the enforcement of some congressional acts. The last straw was when he tried to dismiss his secretary of war, in open defiance of the Tenure of Office Act, which required congressional approval for dismissal of certain Cabinet members.

defying the Treaty of Paris

being a Radical Republican

Question 11 of 30

These two presidents were second cousins.

George Washington and James Monroe

Franklin Pierce and James Polk

Zachary Taylor and James Madison

Zachary Taylor was the 12th president, and James Madison was the fourth president.

Question 12 of 30

Who was president during the stock market crash of 1929?

Herbert Hoover

The stock market crashed only seven months after Hoover became president.

Calvin Coolidge

Warren G. Harding

Question 13 of 30

Who was the only ex-president to become a Supreme Court justice?

Millard Fillmore

William H. Taft

Taft left office in 1908, and Warren G. Harding appointed him as chief justice in 1921.

James Polk

Question 14 of 30

Who served nine terms as a congressional representative after his presidency?

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams had a much more politically active post-presidency life than most, serving nine terms as a representative from Massachusetts.

William H. Taft

Andrew Jackson

Question 15 of 30

Who's the only president to hold a doctorate?

Lyndon B. Johnson

Bill Clinton

Woodrow Wilson

Wilson held a doctorate in political science and history from Johns Hopkins University.

Question 16 of 30

Who was the youngest elected president?

Barack Obama

John F. Kennedy

JFK was 43 years and 7 months old when he was inaugurated.

Zachary Taylor

Question 17 of 30

Who was the youngest president to be in office?

John F. Kennedy

Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt took office at 42 years and 10 months old, but he wasn't elected — he took office after President McKinley was assassinated.

Franklin Pierce

Question 18 of 30

This president was a congressman, senator, governor and vice president before he became president.

James Buchanan

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson truly climbed the governmental ladder to the presidency.

Harry Truman

Question 19 of 30

John F. Kennedy and this ex-president are the only two to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

William H. Taft

In addition to his presidential term and stint as chief justice of the Supreme Court, Taft also served as secretary of war.

Ulysses S. Grant

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Question 20 of 30

How many presidents have been assassinated in office?

two

four

Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy were all killed in office.

six

Question 21 of 30

How many presidents have survived an assassination attempt while in office?

three

five

Jackson, FDR, Truman, Ford and Reagan all survived assassination attempts while in office.

nine

Question 22 of 30

How many of those survivors were wounded in the attempt?

one

two

Reagan was the only one to be wounded by a would-be assassin. He suffered a punctured lung and internal bleeding when John Hinckley Jr. shot him.